monkish

adjective

monk·​ish ˈməŋ-kish How to pronounce monkish (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a monk
also : resembling that of a monk
2
: inclined to disciplinary self-denial

Examples of monkish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Obama has retreated into monkish silence, broken only for special occasions such as celebrity deaths and the recording of Bruce Springsteen podcasts. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 17 July 2024 Cillian Murphy is not sitting at home in monkish penury. Vulture, 3 Feb. 2024 The common remark that someone with a peaceful mind will enjoy isolation as monkish solitude whereas someone with a troubled mind will suffer solitude as imprisonment woefully misses the point that a monk typically isn’t in a 48-square-foot cell and is free to leave at any time. Sarah Fay, Longreads, 17 Mar. 2020 Except for stints spent travelling, his life was monkish, mostly spent at his Olympia typewriter or, as his projects required, in libraries and archives. Max Norman, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for monkish 

Word History

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of monkish was in 1537

Dictionary Entries Near monkish

Cite this Entry

“Monkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monkish. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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